This invention relates generally to emergency shower units of a type designed principally for flush-flow wash-down as an initial first aid measure for a person or persons who may have been exposed to hazardous materials such as toxic chemical agents or the like. More specifically, this invention relates to a portable shower station designed for convenient transport to a site of potential use where it can be rapidly deployed to provide effective flush-flow wash-down.
Significant attention has been directed in recent years to problems associated with exposure to a wide range of toxic chemical and/or biological agents known or suspected to produce adverse medical conditions in humans. Such chemical and/or biological agents, commonly referred to as hazardous materials, are widely used in many industrial applications, laboratory environments, etc., whereby undesired exposure can occur in the event of accidental spillage during use, or during handling and transport of a hazardous material. In addition, exposure to hazardous materials may occur in the course of military action, or as a result of terrorist activity. When an exposure incident occurs, particularly with certain hazardous agents, a typical first step in the decontamination process can be to wash the exposed person and clothing with a substantial flushing flow of water, wherein it can be important for this flush-flow wash-down to take place as soon as possible after exposure.
A variety of emergency shower units have been developed with the intent of providing flush-flow wash-down of a person or persons exposed to hazardous materials. In general, these emergency shower units have provided a shower stall adapted for connection to a supply of water under pressure to one or more spray nozzles for flushing contaminants from a person. In some designs, these shower units have been provided in a collapsible and portable form conducive to convenient transport to a potential site of use, whereat the shower unit is adapted for assembly and use. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,216,763 and 5,469,587. However, these prior shower assemblies have typically included a relatively large number of component parts, and/or have not been ideally suited for fast assembly in an intuitive manner for rapid deployment in an emergency situation. In addition, some of these prior shower assemblies have been constructed from a large number of flexible components that do not provide sufficient structural stiffness and stability in the erected state for outdoor use during windy weather conditions.
The present invention pertains to an improved emergency shower unit or station constructed from a substantial minimum number of component parts suitable for convenient and compact transport to a potential use site, and designed for quick and easy on-site assembly in an emergency environment to provide a substantially rigid shower stall structure with multiple spray nozzles for flush-flow wash-down of a person exposed to a hazardous material.
In accordance with the invention, a portable and rapidly deployable shower station is provided particularly for emergency flush-flow wash-down of a person exposed to hazardous materials such as hazardous chemical agents or the like. The shower station comprises a plurality of tubular frame components adapted for quick and easy assembly to form a substantially rigid structure defining an interior shower stall. These tubular frame components are adapted for connection to a supply of water under pressure wherein the water pressure displaces the assembled frame components from a compact collapsed configuration to a fully erected state defining the interior shower stall. A plurality of spray nozzles are carried by the frame components for delivering a substantial flush-flow of water to a person standing within the shower stall.
In a preferred form, the frame components of the portable shower station comprise a lower base frame including at least one frame member such as a pair of rigid tubular side rails interconnected at one end by a rigid tubular cross rail, by means of interfitting quick connect-disconnect fittings suitable for rapid assembly to define an interconnected water flow passage therethrough. The opposite ends of each of the two side rails are connected respectively by means of additional quick connect-disconnect fittings to a plurality of upright telescopic tubular corner posts defining internal water flow passage in flow communication with said base frame. The upper ends of these corner posts are connected in turn to a nonrigid top frame comprising a plurality of flexible hose segments defining internal water flow passages in flow communication with said corner post passages and extending inwardly from the corner posts to a generally X-shaped central connector fitting.
At least one of the base frame components is adapted for rapid connection by connecting means to a supply of water under pressure, for water flow upwardly through the plurality of telescopic corner posts and the nonrigid top frame. The water pressure automatically and hydraulically causes the corner posts to extend from a normal retracted or collapsed configuration to an elongated or extended and fully erected state. In addition, the water pressure effectively inflates and substantially rigidifies the flexible hose segments of the top frame. In this fully erected state, the frame components cooperatively provide a substantially rigid shower structure suitable for outdoor use during windy conditions. In use, the multiple spray nozzles carried by the corner posts and preferably also by the top frame deliver a substantial water flow from multiple locations and projected from different directions into the interior shower stall to provide effective flush-flow wash-down of a person within the shower stall. A shower curtain can be draped from the frame components to enclose one or more sides of the shower stall, if desired.
Other features and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.